Volume 14, Number 7
Nov 1990

News

PRESERVATION EXPENDITURES UP 23% IN ONE YEAR

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has issued
its annual book of preservation statistics, covering 1988-89 activities
for 107 libraries in the U.S. and Canada. A total of $60 million
was spent on preservation, which was a 23/ increase over 1987-88.
Total preservation staff is 1620, 12.5% more than in 1987-88.
They put 60,500 volumes on microfilm. Copies of the report ($20
members, $60 nonmembers) are available from ARL, 1527 New Hampshire
Ave., W, Washington, DC 20036 (202/232-2466).

RESEARCH ON A REPLACEMENT FOR THE CORNER FOLD

The Institute for Paper Conservation will act as
the Cooperating Body in a research project being undertaken under
the direction of Dr. Derek Priest at the Paper Science Department
of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
(UMIST).

The aim of the project is to establish the theory
and practical principles for a method of determining nondestructively
the mechanical properties of paper in a book, for use in condition
surveys of library books.

A portable ultrasonic sensor, used with a portable computer, may
be developed, based on the sensors already in use in paper mills for
online readings of paper strength as it comes off the machine. A
graduate student will work on the project for three years from
September 1990.

GRANTS

The Carolyn Horton Fund Award is offered annually
to support continuing education or training for professional book
and paper conservators. Amount: $500. Only members of the AIC
Book and Paper Specialty Group qualify. Deadline for application
is February 1, 1991. Apply at Carolyn Horton Fund, FAIC, 16th
St., NW, Suite 340, Washington, DC 20036. Amount of the award
may vary.

The National Library of Medicine's National Preservation
Program for the Biomedical Literature appears to be a balanced
one, in the sense that not all their grants go for microfilming.
It funded three new cost-sharing contracts September 21:

The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library will
preserve the collection of Dr. Philip S. Hench, prominent rheumatologist.
Important books will be bound or boxed by Booklab, Inc., and
manuscripts will be cleaned or copied by Carrabba Conservation
in Austin, TX.

The A.T. Still Library at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
will provide conservation treatment (at NEDCC), cleaning and better
enclosures for its large collection of osteopathic literature.

Tufts University Health Sciences Library will microfilm four serials
titles in the field of dentistry. Camera work will be done at
MIT. (The NLM hopes to microfilm all brittle serials and monographs
in core medical subjects.)

NEH FUNDS PAPER CONSERVATION CATALOG

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has
awarded the Book and Paper Specialty Group for the American Institute
for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) a three-year
grant in the amount of $72,559 to continue development of the
Paper Conservation Catalog, a unique knowledge base (not a manual)
of techniques in use today.

The funds will be used to prepare three new editions
of the Paper Conservation Catalog, covering fiber identification,
mold and foxing treatments, dry cleaning, hinge tape and adhesive
removal; inpainting; and encapsulation, as well as solvent, and
suction table treatments.

The seventh edition, just published, covers washing,
support problems and spot tests. The fifth, sixth and seventh
editions are currently available for $8 per copy plus postage
and handling from the AIC office at: 1400 16th St., N.W., Suite
340, Washington, DC 20036 (202/232-6636).

FOUNDATION SUPPORTS CANADIAN PRESERVATION FILMING

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of the U.S. has given
$875,000 to a Canadian cooperative project to promote a coordinated
national approach to the conservation effort and avoid duplication
of work and expense in the production of microforms to replace
brittle books. It will establish technical standards for microfilming
as well as procedures and systems for reporting preservation [microfilming]
activities and microfilm masters to a national register. This
will complement similar activities in the U.S. and help coordinate
the international effort. The National Library of Canada will
administer the three-year project, which involves McGill University,
Université Laval, and the universities of Alberta, British
Columbia, and Toronto.

MEETINGS TO COME

Papers are invited for Symposium 91, "Saving
the Twentieth Century: The Degradation and Conservation of Modern
Materials," to be held Sept. 16-20, 1991, in Ottawa. Focus
will be on synthetic and modified natural polymers, metals and
composites, as found in museums. Deadline for abstracts is Feb.
22. Write David Grattan, CCI, Dept. of Communications, 1030 Innes
Rd., Ottawa, Ontario K1A OC8, Canada.

The Institute of Paper Conservation (IPC) puts on
a world-class conference once every six years. Previous conferences
were held in Cambridge and Oxford; the next one will be in Manchester,
April 1-4, 1992, at the University of Manchester Institute of
Science and Technology (UMIST). Those wishing to speak at the
conference should write or fax immediately for guidelines before
submitting papers. Papers need to be original in content, generally
an the topics of albums and sketchbooks, sizing and resizing,
19th Century works of art, studies in book conservation and scientific
matters. Contributions from curators, librarians, art and paper
historians, scientists and administrators will be particularly
welcome. Contact the conference secretariat, Millstream Europe
Ltd., South Harting, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU31 5LF, England
(Phone +44-730-825711, Fax +44730-825763).

The IADA meeting in Uppsala, August 26-30, 1991,
will cost members about $257 and nonmembers about $317, if payment
is made before May 1. A preliminary program is available from
Jonas Palm, Universitetsbiblioteket, Box 510, S-751 20 Uppsala,
Sweden (phone 46-18-18 39 00; Fax 46-1818 39 13). It lists 38
titles (though whether they are of papers or sessions is hard
to determine), covering all or nearly all topics relevant to book
and paper conservation.

MISCELLANY

There was a small flood in the National Archives
and National Library in Ottawa, July 4, when an air-conditioning
drainpipe burst. It damaged some pretty valuable material: 24
rare atlases and 500 volumes in the music print collections, as
well as 21 or 22 bound sheet music sets in a copyright deposit
collection from the 1840s to the 1860s. Staff worked through
the night sorting and air-drying the affected volumes and had
some freeze-dried. (From American Libraries
Oct. 1990, p. 842)

Public Law 101-423, the new permanent paper law
for the U.S., was sponsored by one or more congressmen in every
state of the union.

The deadline for bids on deacidification of the
Library of Congress's books has been extended from January 7 to
February 7.

The Research Libraries Group (RLG) has been awarded
$212,209 by the NEH to microfilm art serials. The 2,000 or so
volumes to be filmed are from 75-100 deteriorated 19th and 20th
century art serials owned by RLG members and the Library of Congress.
Only those without color illustrations will be included. The
work will be done at MAPS.

A list of recent natural and manmade disasters
that have interrupted postal service around the world is issued
by Johnson & Hayward, 516 W. 19th St., New York, NY 10011
(800/521-0080). Examples: July 17-18, Philippines, Manila: Earthquake
caused considerable damage to property, roads and power supplies;
July 8, Vietnam: Tropical storm destroyed bridges and caused severe
damage to buildings, transport and commerce; July 30, Switzerland:
Storms caused landslides and transport chaos in Western and Central
Switzerland; July 11, Haiti: General strike.

MORE NEWS ABOUT THE ALA MEETING

The ALCTS Newsletter (formerly the RTSD
Newsletter) v. 1 #6 reports some events from the ALA meeting
that were not reported in the August issue of this Newsletter.

The Standard Subcommittee on Preservation Microfiche (in the
Reproduction of Library Materials Section, RLMS) reviewed tests
currently under way regarding the production of microfiche and
discussed the problems of 105mm film as a preservation medium.

In the Resources Section, the Micropublishing Committee discussed
the roles of commercial micropublishers in the national preservation
effort and will use this as a basis for a future program. The
committee decided to explore the possibility of working with other
ALA groups in establishing an electronic bulletin board to alert
colleagues about problem detected in micropublications.

The Guides Subcommittee in RS is planning a guide on preservation
in acquisition processing

In the preconference, "Preservation Issues in Collection
Management," Sherry Byrne and Jan Merrill-Oldham conducted a
practicum on preservation decision-making for printed materials, and
made these points: The role of collection management in preservation
is to assist in planning procedures and work flow, develop methods
to identify materials, provide prescreening and presearching for
bibliographers, know the rationale for treatment decisions, and
implement procedures.